Porifera
Clathria carteri
(Brown Fan Sponge)
1. In situ with colonial zoanthid (Greg McFall)
2. Out of water (Rob Ruzicka)
3. Out of water (Rob Ruzicka)
4. Out of water (Steve Vives)
Size
Colony height and width: reaching 12cm (5")
Recognition Characters
Fan shaped with surface of sponge corrugated by ridges. Lateral laminae may project from the main laminae like buttresses. The consistency of the sponge is firm and only slightly compressible. Ridges on surface of sponge form a divergent branching pattern. Surface is strongly hispid with projecting sponges. Spicules are abundant ancanthostyles with small spines from interior regions and smooth tylostyles characteristic of surface regions.
Color
Brown to dark brown
Habitat & Depth
Mixed sandy and hard bottom habitats to 70m.
Distribution at GRNMS
Rare. Encountered on sandy bottoms away from ledges and rocky outcroppings.
Geographic Range
North Carolina south to Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, also Bermuda
Behavior & Notes
Synonyms
Thalyseurypon carteri (Wells and Wells, 1960)
Wells et al. 1960